


Chopped Vegetables

by thekatthatbarks



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Meeting the Parents, Shikaku Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22761961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekatthatbarks/pseuds/thekatthatbarks
Summary: “My dad will be there too, so you won’t be left to my mom’s hands alone.”Sakura chuckled and teased, “Is she as crazy as you’ve made her seem? Should I be worried?”Shikamaru laughed softly. “Yes and no. She’s going to love you.”
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Nara Shikamaru, Nara Shikaku/Nara Yoshino
Comments: 7
Kudos: 243





	Chopped Vegetables

Sakura smiled at him when he walked into her office, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of the spiked ponytail. She leaned her chin on her palm and gave him a flirtatious look. “Here to take me to lunch, Shikamaru?”

He smiled back at her, his hands in his pockets and his cheeks warm. “Maybe. I have to ask you something first though.”

She raised an eyebrow and leaned back in her chair as he rounded her desk and leaned against the wood beside her. He looked away from her and Sakura watched curiously as his blush deepened. He rubbed the back of his neck. “My mom wants you to come over for dinner.”

Sakura’s lips parted in surprise and she felt her chest tighten anxiously. Her voice was quiet as she asked him uncertainly, “You told her about me?”

She couldn’t even put a name to what her and Shikamaru had been doing. They had been teetering on the edge of friendship and something else for the past few months. She didn’t know exactly when it started to turn into something else, but she thought it was probably after that mission they’d had over a year ago, one of her firsts after the war. Something had just _clicked_ and once they were home, he invited her to dinner. One thing led to another, and they found themselves gravitating towards each other.

Sakura’s heart had started to race when his skin brushed hers. When he smiled softly, she felt herself biting her lip to keep her wide smile at bay. It was one day when he’d convinced her to come watch the clouds with him and she’d found herself tucked into his side that she realized she’d managed to fall in love with him.

Though they both knew what the inevitable was, neither of them had pushed things farther than a few flirtations and the heat of their hands as they lingered on each other.

So, Sakura was surprised to say the least. Though the fantasy warmed her heart, she couldn’t imagine Shikamaru going on about how much he loved her to his mother, so she was wondering how this came about.

Shikamaru shook his head and then shrugged, looking back to her with a small smile. “No, but maybe she wants to meet the person who keeps stealing all my time.”

Sakura bit her lip and glanced down at the papers on her desk. She felt like this was a big step for them and it made her more nervous than she wanted to admit.

Shikamaru shifted beside her, his voice hesitant. “You don’t have to come. But she wanted me to ask you.”

“No, I’ll come. I want to come.” Sakura smiled up at him, her heart out of rhythm in her chest. It scared her but she also felt some excitement about it. She knew Shikamaru wouldn’t have even asked her if he didn’t _want_ her to go. She knew he thought it meant something, too. So, of course she would go.

Shikamaru nodded and she noticed the slight fraction that his shoulders relaxed by. Her smile became softer as he said, “My dad will be there too, so you won’t be left to my mom’s hands alone.”

Sakura chuckled and teased, “Is she as crazy as you’ve made her seem? Should I be worried?” 

Shikamaru laughed softly. “Yes and no. She’s going to love you.”

***

Sakura felt Shikamaru’s arm fall from her waist and before she could panic – his touch was comforting and incredibly good at calming her racing heart down – he slipped his hand into hers and interlocked their fingers. He brushed his lips against her hair as they reached the door to his childhood home and whispered, “Don’t be nervous, Sakura.”

Sakura nodded and gave him a smile before he opened the door. He led her over the threshold and called out, “Mom! Dad! We’re here!”

Sakura slipped off her shoes with him as a woman walked down the hall to them.

“Mom – “

There were hands cupping her face as Yoshino smiled at her. “Oh, Sakura-chan! I haven’t seen you since you were small!” She looked over her and Sakura felt oddly embarrassed, but not necessarily in a bad way.

She smiled. “It’s nice to see you again, Nara-san. Thank you for inviting me to dinner.”

She scoffed and put a hand on her hip, waving with her other hand. “Call me Yoshino.” She glanced at Shikamaru. “You know, I’ve been trying to get Shika-kun to bring you by for weeks but he –“

“Mom.” Shikamaru sighed and then Shikaku rounded the corner. He sighed at seeing them. “Yoshino, are you really already badgering her at the door?”

She looked at him and rolled her eyes but stepped back. “I was _only_ saying hello, Shikaku.”

Shikaku chuckled, watching his wife leave the hallway with a smile. He looked back to Sakura with a nod. “Welcome to our home, Sakura-chan.”

Sakura bowed her head with a smile. “Thank you for having me.”

Shikaku grinned at her and glanced at Shikamaru. “Well, Sakura-chan, do you want to watch an old man kick Shikamaru’s ass at his own game?”

Sakura snorted, her smile widening. “Yeah, I think that’d be fun.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes next to her and mumbled, “Traitor.”

Shikaku laughed and jerked his head as he began to walk away. “I’ll be in the back whenever you’re ready, son.”

Once they were alone again, Sakura looked up at Shikamaru and he smiled down at her, his eyes softening. He told her quietly, “See? Not so bad.”

Sakura chuckled with a nod, her hand still in his as he led her to the back of the house.

***

Sakura almost felt like laying down to take a nap she felt so comfortable with the setting sun on her skin. She looked down at the wooden floor beneath her and wondered if Shikamaru had fallen asleep here watching the sun set over the Nara Forest in the distance. It made her smile and she looked over at him.

Even with how focused he was in his game with his father, he felt her eyes on him and glanced at her with a small smile. He raised an eyebrow at her in question and she shook her head, her eyes falling back to the board.

She’d played Shikamaru a few times and though he insisted she was one of the best people he’d played against, they’d never had a game like this. It was fun to watch them make snide remarks to each other, in their own world both dozens of steps ahead of what was happening in front of them.

Once they started the second game, Sakura stood up even as her heart beat uncomfortably with nerves. She touched Shikamaru’s shoulder as she bent down to tell him, “I’ll be back in a moment.”

He nodded, glancing at her curiously and she left the room, sending Shikaku a smile before closing the door.

Sakura found the kitchen easily. The house was big, but she could hear the sounds of water running and food sizzling in a pan.

Yoshino looked over at her in mild surprise as she walked through the door, a small smile on her face. “Sakura-chan, did you need something?”

Sakura shook her head and went towards her with a nervous smile. “No, I was wanting to know if _you_ needed anything? I can help with dinner if you’d like.”

Yoshino chuckled and shook her head. “Sakura, you’re the _guest_.”

Sakura leaned her hip against the counter and cocked an eyebrow. “More reason to help then.”

Yoshino eyed her for a moment and then laughed softly with a shrug. “Okay.” She moved her to a cutting board and instructed her before moving back to whatever she had on the stove.

Sakura began chopping up the vegetables but when Yoshino looked over at her a moment later, she shook her head and stepped back towards her. “No, Sakura-chan, they need to be _smaller_.”

“Oh.” Sakura lifted her knife to go back over what she’d just done, a blush rising on her cheeks. Yoshino watched her for a moment and then nodded. “That’s better.”

After stirring the pot, she asked her, “Did your mother not ever teach you how to cook?”

Sakura cleared her throat, keeping her eyes on the cutting board. “No, she didn’t. She wasn’t really interested in… teaching me that.” _Or anything for that matter._

Yoshino told her back quietly in a warm voice. “Well, I don’t mind.” When Sakura glanced at her, she sent her a smile which Sakura tentatively returned.

Sakura knew she had probably slowed Yoshino down more than she’d helped her as she realized all the different things she didn’t know how to do in the kitchen. But Yoshino didn’t seem to mind, and Sakura liked the warm content of the kitchen.

“The boys playing shoji?” Yoshino asked her at some point.

“Yes, I imagine they still are. They were on their second game when I came to see you.”

Yoshino shook her head with a sigh, but Sakura could see the fondness in her eyes. “You know, I’ve seen them sit out there for _hours_ before.”

Sakura laughed as she dumped ingredients into a pot. “Must be why Shikamaru’s so good at it.”

“I have _baby_ pictures of him in Shikaku’s lap watching him play with Inoichi.” Yoshino looked at her in exasperation and Sakura felt warmth grow in her chest as she smiled.

***

Sakura felt herself relax throughout dinner, Shikamaru’s hand on her thigh and her hand over his. Yoshino had apparently saved her arsenal of interrogation questions for the meal where she and Shikamaru couldn’t escape. But Sakura didn’t feel too nervous after being with the woman for an hour as they cooked.

“So, are you going to take over the hospital once Tsunade-sama leaves, Sakura-chan? I heard she was wanting to go back to her travels once Kakashi-sama settles more into the seat.”

“No, I enjoy being a shinobi and going out on missions.” Sakura looked to the side in thought. “It would be near impossible to do both, so I’ll remain a medic.”

Yoshino hummed in response, waiting for Sakura to take a few bites of her food before asking bluntly, “When did you start dating my son?”

Shikamaru almost choked on his water in the seat next to her and her anxiety at the question was lost to her amusement. She laughed softly and patted his hand underneath the table as he cleared his throat. “ _Mom._ ”

Yoshino scoffed as she leaned back in her chair, Shikaku smiling in amusement next to her. “What? Like we can’t see what’s going on between you. I just asked her a question, Shikamaru.”

Shikamaru sighed and glanced at Sakura with a shrug, leaving it up to her as he gave her a nervous smile. Her chest tightened in response and she subtly took a deep breath before turning to Yoshino. “A few months.” Shikamaru’s hand squeezed her thigh and Sakura threaded her fingers through his.

Yoshino’s eyes brightened and she smirked, turning to Shikaku. “Told you so. I win.”

Shikaku huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, waving a hand at Shikamaru. “Well, I had thought the boy hadn’t done anything about it yet.”

Yoshino chuckled and Shikamaru groaned, looking at his parents exasperated as his face became red. “You were _betting_ on my love life?”

Sakura stifled a laugh as Yoshino told him, “I wouldn’t call it _betting_.”

***

Sakura sipped on her tea as she cooed at another picture. “Right in his lap, just like you said. He’s _adorable_.”

Yoshino snickered and pointed at another picture. Shikamaru groaned next to her, his head falling to her shoulder as he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. “Mom, do you _really_ have to be so predictable?”

She shrugged and turned another page in the photo album, leaning against Sakura’s other shoulder on the couch. “Well, if I’m so predictable, then why are you upset?”

Shikamaru grumbled into her shoulder making Sakura laugh, sharing an amused look with Yoshino as they continued to look through Shikamaru’s baby pictures. Eventually, Sakura took pity on the mildly embarrassed man behind her and gave Yoshino an apologetic look. “I’d love to stay longer, but I have an early shift at the hospital in the morning.”

Yoshino nodded and they stood up from the couch. Shikaku glanced up from the chair he was sitting at where he’d been reading. He walked over to Sakura and put a hand on her shoulder, smiling down at her. “It was good having you, Sakura-chan. I hope to see you come by again.”

Sakura smiled. “I’ll definitely try to. I enjoyed visiting.”

Yoshino walked with them to the door, then surprised Sakura by pulling her into a hug. She whispered lowly near her ear, “Thank you for taking care of him.”

Sakura felt her skin heat as she pulled away, smiling shyly. Shikamaru’s hand slipped into hers and was tugging her towards the open door. She gave Yoshino a little wave. “I’ll come see you again soon, Yoshino-san.”

Yoshino smiled and closed the door as they left.

Shikamaru let out a long sigh as they walked. “That was exhausting.”

Sakura laughed. “It wasn’t too bad.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, a smile threatening on his lips. She felt more laughter bubble in her chest as she reached up and pinched his cheek. “You were so _cute_ , Shika-kun.”

He blushed and hit her hand away. “Oh, shut up. I should’ve expected her to do that. Her and my father never miss a chance to embarrass me.”

Sakura chuckled and leaned into his side. They were quiet as they walked through the village. When they reached her apartment door, Shikamaru turned her around with his hand on her hip, her back pressing into the door. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up at him to that sly smile of his.

He leaned down towards her as he spoke in a low voice, “You know since we’ve already been dating for a few months, don’t you think it’s a little odd we haven’t kissed yet? I mean I’ve already introduced you to my parents.”

Sakura bit her lip as she glanced from his eyes to his smile. “Yeah, guess we did things a little out of order.”

She felt her stomach flip in excitement as his hand reached up to her hold her face. His lips were a breath away from hers and Sakura felt her eyes flutter close as he asked, “Can I kiss you, Sakura?”

Sakura answered by snaking her arms up his chest to lock around his neck and pull him that inch closer. Shikamaru’s lips met hers and Sakura felt all remaining thought she had leave her as he kissed her. It was sweet and lasted shorter than she would have liked.

When he broke away from her, she felt her smile grow as she looked up at him with blushing cheeks. “I do expect you to take me on a _real_ date soon, Shikamaru.”

He laughed and kissed her again, promising against her smile, “Yes ma’am.”


End file.
